


Arrow: No Hesitation

by ArlyssTolero



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e01 The Calm, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24562549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArlyssTolero/pseuds/ArlyssTolero
Summary: Sara Lance doesn't hesitate when arrows are nocked and fired at her, evading the attack and using a secret weapon against her assailant, resulting in a very different conclusion to the events of "The Calm".
Relationships: Malcolm Merlyn & Thea Queen, Oliver Queen & Thea Queen, Sara Lance/Oliver Queen
Comments: 21
Kudos: 38





	Arrow: No Hesitation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow.

Sara Lance stood on a rooftop in the Glades, looking wistfully at Starling City’s downtown district in the distance. She knew that she had done what was needed to get help for Starling City against Slade’s army of Mirakuru soldiers, but she couldn’t help but wish it could’ve been different, that she hadn’t had to break Oliver’s heart to keep him from coming after her. She still loved him, and had done her best to rebuff Nyssa’s advances, making it as clear as she could to her ex-girlfriend that what she had done when she came to Starling City hunting Sara wasn’t just forgiven and forgotten.

Sara had rejoined the League to pay the debt that would be owed for their aid in saving Starling from Slade’s army, but she wasn’t about to get involved with Nyssa again. As it was, Ra’s had relegated her to intelligence-gathering missions, not trusting her with assassinations, and if she was honest, she was glad to have been moved to the intelligence branch of the League. It was fulfilling and it didn’t require her to kill and lose more of her soul.

“And here I thought you used up all of your League of Assassin vacation days,” Laurel teased as she approached Sara, who turned to face her sister with an easy grin, hiding the troubled thoughts that she had swirling through her head. Laurel laughed as the two sisters hugged.

“You look great,” Sara told her sister, and she did. Laurel looked much healthier than she had the last time Sara had seen her sister, when she was still on the road to recovery from her addiction and alcoholism. “How’s Dad doing?”

“The same,” Laurel replied. “Seeing you will help.”

“I don’t want him to know I’m in town, not just yet,” Sara said.

Laurel hesitated for a moment then asked, “You don’t want him to know you’re in town, or you don’t want him to know why?”

“Both,” Sara said. “This life, it… It’s complicated.”

“We didn’t want you to choose it,” Laurel told her sister compassionately. “Not for us.”

“I know,” Sara said. “I chose it for me.”

Laurel’s cell phone buzzed. She took it out and looked at it. “The Arrow- _Oliver_ busted someone who tried to blow up Rockets arena, and my boss wants me to head to the station to backstop the interrogation.”

“Laurel Lance,” Sara said with a smile. “Always trying to save the world.”

“Runs in the family,” Laurel replied. The two sisters hugged again. “Love you,” Laurel said before turning and leaving the rooftop. Sara watched her go, then turned back to look at the city for another minute or so. Then Sara put her mask back into place along with her wig and began heading in the opposite direction. It was time to get back to her mission, such as it was.

“ _Hello, Sara,_ ” said a modulated voice behind her. Sara turned, and her eyebrows shot up as she saw Thea Queen in archery leathers, giving her a blank stare.

“What are you doing here?” Sara asked Thea confusedly. As if in slow motion, Sara watched as Thea reached back and drew an arrow from the quiver on her back. As the girl she had once babysat and considered a surrogate little sister nocked the arrow, Sara’s adrenaline spiked, and she dodged the arrow as it was fired, before summoning up the feelings of fear and dread that had filled her on the night this first happened and unleashed a sonic scream, a secret she had kept from Ra’s al Ghul because she knew he saw any sorts of ‘enhancements’ as an abomination against nature (which was hypocrisy at its finest considering the enhancements the Lazarus Pit provided along with long life), sending Thea tumbling ass over head across the rooftop. Sara wasted no time, taking a running leap off of the building and latching onto the fire escape across the way before leap-frogging her way down to the ground, where Laurel had stopped in her tracks, staring at her sister in shock, having heard the commotion above.

“Come on, we gotta go,” Sara said, grabbing her sister and running towards Laurel’s parked car. The two sisters scrambled into the car and Laurel peeled away.

“What the hell happened back there?” Laurel demanded to know.

“Get me to the Foundry, Ollie needs to know about this,” was Sara’s only reply. She had seen Malcolm Merlyn standing a short distance behind Thea, filming the entire thing, and she felt sick to her stomach for a multitude of reasons. If she hadn’t of reacted so quickly, than that would’ve shown Thea killing her, something that would’ve destroyed Oliver and Laurel if they ever saw it. More importantly for Sara, it _had_ shown her using the power that had developed after the Particle Accelerator explosion in Central City, where she had gone to see her mother and keep an eye on her from a distance after leaving Starling City. If Merlyn somehow got that recording into the hands of the League, then her life would be forfeit.

“Sara, what happened?” Laurel asked again.

“Something I didn’t expect,” Sara said softly. How could Thea try to kill her? Why would she be with _Malcolm Merlyn_ of all people? Thea couldn’t have been stupid enough to accept Merlyn into her life; she was smarter than that. She knew what Merlyn was: a terrorist, psychopath, and mass murderer. No one with a working brain would follow after someone like that for _any_ reason. “Laurel, I don’t want to have to say this twice. Just get us to the Foundry.”

“Alright,” Laurel said slowly. The drive to the Foundry went by quickly since they were already in the Glades. Laurel and Sara passed through the empty club quickly and reached the door leading down into the Foundry. Sara punched in the access code and opened the door. Oliver was at the computers, looking something up, and he turned to face them as the Lance sisters came down the stairs.

“Laurel, Sara, this is a surprise,” Oliver said.

“Sara was just attacked, and she insisted we come here,” Laurel said. She hesitated. “As much as I want to find out what’s going on, my boss expects me to backstop the interrogation of the guy you caught trying to blow up Rockets Arena. Keep me in the loop?”

“Of course,” Oliver said, and Laurel gave a smile in thanks before turning and heading back up the stairs. Oliver turned to face his friend. “So. You were attacked.”

“Yeah,” Sara said heavily. “Ollie… I really don’t know how to say this… If I hadn’t of been there being attacked, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”

“Sara, it’s okay, just tell me what happened,” Oliver said. “Who attacked you?”

Sara swallowed, knowing this was going to hurt her friend. “Thea,” she whispered.

For a moment, it didn’t seem to register. Then Oliver’s face twisted in shock then suspicion. “You’re sure you weren’t just thinking about her or saw someone who looked like her?”

“I’m sure, Ollie,” Sara said. “She looks different; her hair’s cut short, and she was dressed in archery leathers, but it was definitely her. But that’s not the worst part.”

“What could be worse than my sister attacking you for no reason?” Oliver asked.

“I think she had a reason,” Sara said guiltily. “There was someone else there, filming the encounter.”

“Who?” Oliver asked.

“Malcolm Merlyn,” Sara said softly.

“Merlyn’s dead,” Oliver said automatically.

“No, Ollie, he’s not,” Sara said. “Your mother got word to the League last year that Merlyn was alive. Since I only do intelligence work now and I was familiar with Starling and its players, Ra’s sent me here to keep watch for Merlyn.” Sara reached out and put a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. He jerked away and she withdrew her hand, hurt but knowing this was a huge shock to Oliver, who had been the one to deal what should’ve been the death blow to Merlyn. “Ollie, why would Thea be with Merlyn? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Oliver sighed. “Because Merlyn’s her father,” Oliver said quietly. “She was leaving Starling right before the Siege. If she got caught up in it, and Merlyn saved her, he might have been able to manipulate her into going somewhere with him. But why? Why train Thea and send her after you?”

“Like I said, he was filming the encounter,” Sara said grimly. “If I hadn’t of reacted as quickly as I did, I would be dead right now, Ollie, and Thea would’ve been on camera killing a member of the League.”

“I’m still not understanding what Merlyn gains from this,” Oliver said.

“In the League, all blood debts accrued during the tenure of Ra’s al Ghul are erased with his death,” Sara said. “By recording my death and threatening to reveal it to Ra’s, Merlyn could have forced you into a confrontation with Ra’s to try and kill him. Either way, Merlyn would gain something. If you beat Ra’s, Merlyn would be free and clear. If Ra’s beat you, and Ollie, that’s practically a guarantee, than Merlyn would have orchestrated the death of the person he holds responsible for stopping his vengeance on the Glades.”

“A master stroke,” Oliver mused. Sara nodded. “Well, Thea didn’t kill you, so Merlyn has no leverage over me, right?”

“No,” Sara said softly, “he doesn’t.” _He just has evidence of the fact that I’m a freak of nature,_ she added bitterly in her head.

Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face, though, because Oliver stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. “He doesn’t have evidence of Thea killing you, but he has _something_ ,” Oliver said softly. “Sara, what does he have?”

“Evidence that I’m as much of an abomination as Slade, at least in Ra’s’ eyes,” Sara said softly after a moment. She met Oliver’s questioning gaze. “I have this… power. I didn’t use it during the Siege because if Nyssa had seen it, she would’ve killed me on the spot as an abomination. It’s a sonic scream.”

“Show me,” Oliver said, gesturing towards the training dummy. Sara turned to the dummy, summoned up the required feelings of fear and dread, and unleashed a short burst of her sonic cry, sending the dummy flying back. Oliver watched it quietly.

“See, I’m a freak,” Sara said softly.

“No, you’re a metahuman,” Oliver said. Sara shot her friend a startled look; how did he know stuff like this? “I just had a very interesting visit from a friend in Central City. He can now run at high speeds, leaving a trail of lightning behind him. He made the trip from Central City in less than five minutes, to give an example of how fast he can be.” Sara gave a low whistle. “According to him, the Particle Accelerator released theoretical elements into the world, including something called dark matter, and when it’s bonded with some people it’s given them powers.” Oliver turned to the computers. “We have to find Merlyn and Thea.”

“Wait, what?” Sara said, startled at the abrupt change of topic from Oliver revealing the origin of her powers.

“I’m not going to let Merlyn keep his hands on my sister, or reveal your secret to Ra’s al Ghul,” Oliver said. “We’re going to find Merlyn and Thea, get that recording, and put an end to Merlyn for good this time.”

“I can get behind that,” Sara said softly, and Oliver sat at the computers, beginning to run a search of private airfields marinas where Merlyn and Thea could’ve snuck into the city from, all the while wondering why his sister had gone with Malcolm Merlyn of all people, even if the man may have saved her life. He had thought that Thea was smarter than this.

**_*DC*_ **

An explosive arrow sailed through the air and struck the windshield of the waiting airplane, detonating on impact and shattering the glass. Malcolm Merlyn and Thea Queen stopped in their tracks on the way to the plane and turned to face the approaching forms of the Arrow and the Canary. “Well, I must say, I am surprised that you managed to track us down so quickly,” Malcolm said calmly. He knew he had an ace up his sleeve, one that would hold the Arrow at bay long enough to figure out an avenue of escape. “I hear you’re calling yourself the Arrow these days. A bit on the nose, but I approve of it’s simplicity.”

“ **It’s time you paid for the Undertaking, Merlyn,** ” the Arrow replied coldly. He turned his head to look at Thea. “ **You can step away from him now, Miss Queen. I won’t allow him to harm you.** ”

“Harm me?” Thea scoffed. “He’s the only one whose been willing to be truthful with me. Not like you, _Ollie_.” The Arrow flinched back at that. “What, surprised I know? Like I said, Dad’s been _honest_ with me. He’s not pretending to be a good guy. He’s not. But then, neither are you, but you pretend otherwise.”

“ _Thea, he’s twisting you,_ ” the Canary said softly, “ _making you just like him. Is that what you want? To be a terrorist and a murderer? Do you even realize what he had you do tonight? Do you even realize why you were in Starling? Or has he told you that you were here to handle some normal business?_ ”

“Oh, I get it,” Thea said, realization dawning. “You think that I was _drugged_ earlier. No, Sara. I knew what I was doing when I tried to kill you.” The Canary and the Arrow both flinched back at that. “You’re a murderer, just like my brother, whose deluded people into thinking the two of you are _heroes_. All I was doing was protecting my family, what’s left of it. Because God knows Ollie and I aren’t family.”

“ **Speedy…** ” the Arrow said softly.

“ _Speedy_ is a whiny little brat forever moaning about how unfair life is,” Thea spat. “My name is _Althea Merlyn_ , Oliver, and I will do whatever I have to do to protect my father and I from people like the two of you.”

The Arrow stared at his sister for a moment before coming to a decision. He turned to the Canary. “ **Subdue her,** ” he said. “ **I’ll handle Merlyn.** ”

The battle that followed was short and swift. Thea had been well-trained, but she was no match for a metahuman with the skills of an assassin. She lay on the ground, woozy and with a head wound, as the Arrow delivered the fatal blow to her father. She looked over just in time to see her father fall to the ground in a manner reminiscent of her mother. “No,” she said weakly, scrambling up on her hands knees. “ _No!_ ” She scrambled across the blacktop to her father and knelt beside him, pulling his head into her lap. She looked at Oliver through teary eyes. “I will _never_ forgive you for this!” Thea spat. “Every breath you take, every friend you make, every scotch you drink, you will wonder if this will be your last, if I’ve inserted them into your life, if this drink is poisoned. I will make you _pay_ for this, Oliver! You will regret killing my father, and you wil always remember the name _Merlyn!_ ” Thea stood then and dashed away into the night. The Arrow watched her go as the Canary came to stand beside him.

“ _I’m sorry,_ ” the Canary said softly. “ _Should we go after her?_ ”

“ **It would do no good,** ” the Arrow replied. “ **She’s consumed by hatred and vengeance, now. She’ll be back one day. But I refuse to do to my sister what I did to her father. With Malcolm, it was necessary. But with Thea… there’s always a chance at bringing her back from this madness. I have to believe that.** ”

As it turned out, Thea had had the recording of Sara using her sonic scream and taken it to Nanda Parbat, swearing herself to Ra’s’ service as her father once had. Oliver and Sara faced the League of Assassins together, and in time, drew close once again, forging a deeper bond and understanding as they became Green Arrow and Black Canary, the guardians of Starling City. Oliver would continually try to reach his sister, who wreathed herself in the identity of Merlyn, the Dark Archer, and plagued Oliver and Sara for many years to come with increasingly diabolical plots meant to expose them for the hypocrites that she saw them as.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this one-shot.
> 
> So, the basis of this story was that it was really stupid that Sara would just stand there while someone fires arrows at her, no matter how shocked she was to see them.
> 
> As for the other changes I made, with Thea being a willing participant in Sara’s near-murder? I always felt it would’ve been very tragic for Oliver to lose his sister to darkness and for her to become his nemesis, especially since Tommy was dead and I figured they would use Malcolm to mold Thea into the future Dark Archer before killing him off. Ah, back when I was naïve and thought the showrunners were actually telling *stories* instead of teen sex fantasies.


End file.
